Ex-Hospital CEO Battles Reform Effort - Enemy #1 Rick Scott Coordinating with "Swift Boat" PR Firm.

[jefferson_dem]

Ex-Hospital CEO Battles Reform Effort
Ads Cite Long Waits In Canada and Britain

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 11, 2009

The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries, couldn't get the drugs they needed, or had to come to the United States for treatment.

"Before government rushes to overhaul health care, listen to those who already have government-run health care," intones Rick Scott, founder of a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights. "Tell Congress to listen, too."

Scott, a multimillionaire investor and controversial former hospital chief executive, has become an unlikely and prominent leader of the opposition to health-care reform plans that Congress is expected to take up later this year. While disorganized Republicans and major health-care companies wait for Obama and Democratic leaders to reveal the details of their plan before criticizing it, Scott is using $5 million of his own money and up to $15 million more from supporters to try to build resistance to any government-run program.

The campaign is being coordinated by CRC Public Relations, the group that masterminded the "Swift boat" attacks against Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, and is inspired by the "Harry and Louise" ads that helped torpedo health-care reform during the Clinton administration.

"Everybody wants to say I'm against Obama's plan, but I'm not necessarily," Scott said in an interview last week. "The bottom line is that this is happening fast, and there is not much of a debate going on about what will happen if we go down this path."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/10/AR2009051002243_pf.html

[firedupdem]

1. I hate these people. Rich enough that they never have to worry

about health care, telling others how they should think. I'm hoping their tactics don't work this time.

[jefferson_dem]

3. That Harry and Louise swift boat fear factor shiznit has worked in the past but Barack has a message

[firedupdem]

4. I just hate fake dems like Nelson here that have no desire to

even improve the health care system.

[blm]

15. Barack gets the airtime to respond. In 2004 Kerry's counter to swifts was refused airtime

and barely even reported on though it occurred during a major speech to the Firefighters Convention.

The corporate media then pretended like it never occurred at all, and many Democrats continue to push the corpmedia's preferred storyline.

[drm604]

10. Well Said!

What the hell is wrong with people like this? Like you say, they never have to worry about their own health care, but for some reason they're hellbent on driving up costs and denying care to everyone else. It's infuriating. :banghead:

[dflprincess]

2. I don't suppose they'll bother to mention that in the United States

if you don't have the cash or insurance for your drugs or surgery you will wait until you die.

18,000 Americans die every year because they don't have access to health care - that's the government's number so you can bet the actual count is a lot hight.

[avaistheone1]

17. That would not be polite to bring up such things.

[sandyd921]

5. Scum of the earth is what these people are!

Hope this jerk can sleep at night while the sick are denied the care they need and our so-called health care system grounds to a halt. :puke:

[mrcheerful]

6. So without knowing what the President plans on doing for health care reform this

piece of wasted human genes decides to try to scare americans with horror stories about canada and england health care. Another clueless asshat that doesn't have a clue about the nightmare of having CEO's decide what types of treatment americans who aren't sucking off the corporate welfare teat can have instead of their doctors saying what treatments they need. Boy, I wonder why america is waking up to the fact that conservatives know nothing about america and her needs.

[depakid]

7. Here come the lies- and non-stop propaganda

coupled with the corporate media's assistance, they'll probably prevail.

[jefferson_dem]

9. This is going to be a nasty knock-down-drag-out battle royale...

The President has pledged "unprecedented commitment". We'll need it.

[NC_Nurse]

8. They should ask the people here who already have govt. healthcare - like

House Reps. and Senators. Bet they wouldn't run it down. Sounds like they get good care.

Also Medicare recipients and other govt. insured people.

If they think rationing isn't already happening here, they are completely out of the loop.

[jefferson_dem]

11. CRC ad just aired during Faux and Fiends stupidfest...

Lame ad, honestly. It went like..."Before they impose government-run healthcare on us...let's meet some people who have dealt with that type of system..."

[Hepburn]

12. Let's see....

...a long wait for surgery...or no ability to get surgery at all...

What a tough choice...:sarcasm:

[Jennicut]

13. "Happening too fast"...gee we have only had 15 plus years to debate it! (since the Clintons tried)

[starroute]

14. So Creative Response Concepts is now passing as CRC

Back in 2004, they weren't just the PR firm for the Swiftboaters. They also promoted the CBS "Memogate" story. Their clients included the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee -- as well Regnery Publishing (which published the Swiftboaters' book) and Progress for America (the 527 founded by Karl Rove's pal Tony Feather.)

We haven't heard much from them recently -- I don't recall them being active in the 2008 campaign -- but I guess they haven't really gone away. Just reduced their name to initials and found new kinds of crap to get involved in.

I guess that like everybody else they've realized that the real money these days is not coming from the Republican Party but from the corporations.

[progressoid]

16. Yep- just saw one of his stupid ads.

yuck.